A White Lilly for the Unlucky Bird
by Diamond Snowflake
Summary: AU: A group of friends win an exclusive trip to a private villa and are ecstatic to find it's fantastic. But things start to get freaky when they find 5 children in the basement who insist on playing "Kagome Kagome" and a doll that looks eerily alive...
1. Arrival

Warnings: Possible gore, strong language, possible sexual content

Pairings: Multiple, no real focus on any but there will be both hetero and homosexual ones

Disclaimer: I don't claim ownership over Bleach or any of its characters. As always, they belong to Tite Kubo ( So jealous T_T)

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><p>"Hey guys!"<p>

The boisterous voice of the vibrant red-head known as Abarai Renji rang through the air as he ran over to his friends eating lunch on the patio of his girlfriend's house, one of the top figures in the modeling industry known as Kuchiki Rukia.

Despite her small and rather flat body, Rukia was considered one of the most stunning in the business next to Matsumoto Rangiku. Her big violet eyes complimented her flawless pale skin and her attitude more than made up for the lack in height. She was a huge hit amongst the female teen population due to her youthful appearance and had many admirers both male and female.

Renji had had a crush on her since their childhood days and was both surprised and ecstatic when she confessed to have feelings for him. He was happy she chose to date him despite the fact he was just a commoner and quite frankly, pretty poor.

His parents had abandoned him in the slums of a city and he would have most likely died if Rukia hadn't offered him a place to stay after he had tried to pick-pocket her. She had a nasty kick but her kind nature had been his guiding light during the years he lived wth her and her older brother.

She was the best woman he ever met and he felt very fortunate to be dating her. And now he finally had something to show for that.

Violet eyes looked over and their owner asked, "What's up Ren?"

He proudly held up a bunch of tickets and announced, "I won this lottery thing to a famous villa on a private island! I know that's not really new to you Rukia but I wanted to take you and the others somewhere cool without using your money 'cause you know, we always leech off of you and Kuchiki-san…"

The others laughed as he turned a bit red from embarrassment at the last part as Rukia chuckled before saying, "You're such an awkward goof Ren." Affection shining in her eyes, she added, "But you're also really sweet and I love that about you."

One of their friends and the one who helped hook them up after getting fed up by their antics of denial and obliviousness, Arisawa Tatsuki, broke the mood as she said "Okay enough with the lovey-dovey stuff guys! Save it for when you have some alone time at the villa."

Ignoring their flustered protests, she asked, "When are we going?" Renji paused in his complaining to look at the tickets and replied, "The day after tomorrow at noon is when the plane is leaving so can everyone make it to the airport by then? We'll meet up and then ask where the plane is since I heard it's a private jet."

The rest of the group consisting of Ishida Uryuu, Yasutora Chado, Hisagi Shuuhei, Matsumoto Rangiku, Inoue Orihime, Ulquiorra Schiffer, Hinamori Momo, and Kira Izuru all gave a chorus of enthusiastic agreement (for Ulqui, there was just a bit more interest in his normally blank emerald eyes) before returning back to casual conversation, a buzz of excitement still in the air.

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><p>When the day finally arrived, they all boarded the luxurious jet and headed to the villa, anticipation making them restless during the entire seven hour plane ride.<p>

A half hour before their arrival, Orihime excitedly called,"Look, look! I think I see it!" while pointing out her window. Her lover, Ulquiorra, made room so that more people could look out the windows near their spot at the island that was gradually getting bigger as they neared it.

"Whoa, it's huge! I wonder who owns it… They'd have to be as rich as Nii-sama, maybe even richer" Rukia said in awe.

Even though they were still quite a ways away from it, the villa was pretty large, taking up about a third of the entire island.

"About that… the owner is apparently kind of eccentric and beyond filthy rich. I think we all know the name Aizen Sousuke right?" Renji replied.

There were gasps of astonishment and disbelief as Hinamori exclaimed, "THE Aizen Sousuke? The one whose really charismatic and most likely the most powerful person in Japan, maybe even the world? It's so nice of him to have offered such a beautiful looking place as a prize for a lottery!"

Ishida pushed his glasses up and said uneasily, "Not to dampen the mood or anything but doesn't he have a shady reputation? Wasn't there a story of a family that used to work for him that supposedly vanished off the face of the earth?"

This story wasn't as well-known to the others so he explained, "The only reason I know this is because the father of the family was an acquaintance of my dad and my dad was incredibly suspicious when communication with him suddenly stopped. He looked into it a bit and found out that his friend's family and a few other people went on vacation to a villa owned by Aizen and ever since, none of them have been heard from again."

Hinamori replied confidently, "There must be some mistake in that rumor. Aizen-san's one of the kindest people in the world! He established an entire building as an orphanage and donates large payments to it regularly. I once got to meet him face to face at a really expensive mall and he was so friendly and charming! He helped me find a present for my friend Toushiro-kun even though we had just me."

Kira added quietly, "My boss Ichimaru Gin is one of his advisers and he always says that Aizen-san is very hard-working and never gets mad when his employees make a mistake. I don't think he would do something as frightening as what you're alluding to…"

Hisagi nodded in agreement and said, "Same with my boss and he's known as one of the harshest judges in the courthouses since he follows laws strictly to the T. He wouldn't respect anyone that doesn't abide to them."

When Ishida still looked uncertain, Matsumoto flipped her hair aside and said breezily, "Chill Ishida, there's always going to be nasty rumors about someone as powerful and good-looking as Aizen Sousuke. Your dad's friend probably just requested to have less publicity or something."

It wasn't a very good argument and Ishida was about to point that out when they were all suddenly distracted by their pilot announcing that they were landing. Hastily, they buckled their seats, the conversation all but forgotten even to Ishida, as the plane landed.

The minute they were told it was alright, they rushed out of the jet and onto a warm sandy beach, admiring the scenery and the clean shores.

"It's beautiful" Orihime breathed and they could only nod in silent agreement. Rukia then turned and took off, running in the direction of the villa as she called over her shoulder, "Last person there is a rotten egg!"

Laughing, the others chased after, relishing in how soft the lush grass was beneath their shoes as they left the beach and onto something that was more like a field surrounded by forestry, large gnarled trees seeming to make a path for them towards the mansion-like villa.

They slowed down to gaze at the huge building complex, a little old-fashioned but artistically designed with a surprisingly well maintained garden in front. Bushes of blooming roses and lilies were lined up in an intricate pattern and surrounded a huge fountain that had the figure of a faceless mermaid just breaking the surface of water, a gentle spray erupting around her occasionally much to their delight. They slowly walked along the path towards the house but paused near the huge double doors of the front entrance, mildly intrigued by the peculiar statues stationed there since they seemed quite different from the beauty theme the whole place had.

One would expect knights or something just as gallant or pleasing to the eye but instead, the statues were of cloaked figures wielding huge stone scythes similar to a reaper of sorts, the sun casting slightly eerie shadows on them that made it seem as if their cloaks were moving in the wind.

"They're... kind of creepy" Rangiku murmured. The others couldn't disagree and they looked on a bit longer before swiftly deciding to go see what the interior of the villa looked like, ignoring the small tremor of fear that had shot through their spines. To their relief, the inside was much more welcoming.

If they thought the outside was lovely, then the inside was absolutely breathtaking with rich-colored drapery hanging over large windows and clean white walls surrounding vast rooms and hallways. Glowing golden chandeliers lit the building and made everything seem even more luxurious.

As they chattered enthusiastically, Renji looked around and said, "Huh... the ticket came with a note that said there was supposed to be a butler here that wold help us out. Can't do everything but he'll help with chores and cooking and stuff apparently but I don't see anybody..."

"Sorry for the wait, are you guys the people staying here?" A deep, gruff voice called from the entrance to another room. A man entered wearing a black vest over a white shirt and black slacks, his clothes clearly indicating he was their butler.

To the women's delight, the butler was the epitome of the word handsome. A perfectly angular face with bright cyan eyes and a devilish smirk added with the fact that his hair was a Prussian blue that made the sparkling ocean outside look dull in comparison made him one of the most good-looking guys they'd ever laid eyes upon.

"Oh. My. God. What is he doing here being a butler of all things?" Rangiku whispered, her eyes fixed on a potential future conquest.

The man's smirk widened as he did an elegant bow and introduced himself, "Name's Grimmjow Jaggerjacques but just call me Grimmjow. I have a tendency to get pissed off when people butcher my last name." The guys of the group stiffly introduced themselves, their dominating instincts raised by the possible threats this guy would be to their relationships.

Grimmjow quirked an eyebrow before turning and saying idly, "Sorry to disappoint ya ladies, but I swing the other way." Now the girls looked ecstatic and the guys wary as he waved them off flippantly and added, "And no, none of ya suit my tastes so chill."

Now the girls were disappointed although the guys were very relieved although once they talked to him a little more, they found he was rather easy to get along well with despite his rather cocky and sarcastic personality.

He gave them a quick tour of the four floors and rooms located there that they would most likely be frequenting; a library, a banquet hall, a lounge room, many bathrooms and bedrooms, etc. But when they were finished with the second to last door on the final floor, he abruptly turned and started heading back down.

"Wait a second, Grimmjow! What about this room?" Rangiku called in puzzlement. The man didn't turn as he replied, "That room is off-limits but if ya wanna know, the only thing inside is a doll. It was a gift to me from the people who lived here before." His shoulders seemed to sag a bit as he added in a quieter voice, "One of them was something like a lover to me and that was his final gift to me before he left."

The group shifted a bit at having unintentionally encroached on a sensitive topic as Hisagi said apologetically, "Sorry Grimmjow-san, we didn't mean to remind you of something upsetting."

Grimmjow waved his apology off and replied, 'Nah it's okay, I'm already more or less over it." He suddenly picked up his pace and called back, "Now then, who wants ta see the wicked big-ass pool?"

They were thrown off a bit by the sudden change in mood but quickly brushed it off as Grimmjow just wanting to avoid a touchy subject. The atmosphere considerably more cheery than before, they rushed after him. Somewhere in the deep recesses of their minds, they wondered what kind of doll was in that room but they pushed the thought aside for the moment in favor of guessing how large the pool was.

The story Ishida had mentioned on the plane was all but forgotten and it would only be when they entered a horror story of their own that they remembered the mysterious circumstances surrounding the disappearance of a happy family and the children they had been taking care of in the very same house they were currently residing in.

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><p>AN: This is the first chapter of 1 of 3 possible stories that I will be willing to work on along with two other ones I'm in the process of writing. This one is actually a pretty big difference from what I'm used to doing since I've never tried horror but with the internet's help, I think it'll work out XD Anyway, if you liked this then please let me know by voting on the poll on my profile. And while you're at it, check out the other choices~


	2. Strange Encounters

"Man, this is the life! I wish we could stay here forever…"

The others whole-heartedly agreed with Matsumoto's exclamations. After admiring the huge pool both inside and out in the back, they had moved to the front where the beautiful garden was, enjoying the rest of the gorgeous afternoon weather and the pretty blossoms.

Hinamori gazed at the deep red color of the roses in wonder; she had never seen such intense-colored flowers before even though she was positive that one of her superiors, Ukitake Jyuushiro, was one of the best gardeners known to exist and he had his own impressive collection.

She turned a bit and called over her shoulder to their helper who was currently watering a lovely patch of snow-white lilies, "Grimmjow-san, what kind of fertilizer did you use for these roses? They're such an amazingly rich color…"

The man paused in his work and looked over before returning to his work while replying, "It was actually a special chemical a friend of mine recommended, not a fertilizer. I had my doubts at first since I'd never heard of anyone else using it but then the roses turned into what you're lookin' at and I decided to keep usin' it."

Kira, who was aspiring to grow a garden himself, curiously asked, "What was the chemical?" Grimmjow flashed him a grin and cheekily replied, "It's a secret." Before they could press for information, he explained why, "First off, it's really hard to get enough of it to manage a bush alone never mind an entire garden. Second, it ain't somethin' you can buy; it's purely hand-made and requires a lot of work to make it and even harder to get the ingredients. And third," a longing look entered his eyes as his tone turned a touch softer, "It's pointless to make a beautiful garden if you can't enjoy its beauty with someone special."

Noticing that they looked a bit disappointed and ashamed at their prying, he turned off the hose he had been using and announced, "Alright how 'bout this: while I make preparations for dinner, why don't you guys explore the house. You can't go into that room I said had a doll but you can go anywhere else alright?" When they didn't look very satisfied, he added, "I was told that there were secret rooms built all over the place you can try to find."

Now they were excited and they hurried back towards the house, anxious to begin their search and wondering if they would find something really cool.

Ishida sighed at their childish antics and he looked up towards the sky, hoping it would somehow grant him the patience to deal with their excessive energy. A leaf fluttering in the wind drew his attention and he glanced up, only to see a curtain fluttering in the wind of a window that was most likely on the top floor since it was so high up.

And what he briefly saw made him freeze.

He blinked rapidly and stared but the curtain had settled down again, blocking his glimpse inside. He stubbornly told himself it was his imagination, that the shape of the curtain had distorted what had really been in there and that he was being ridiculous. But a small part inside him insisted that in that one moment, he had seen the silhouette of a person in the supposedly forbidden room.

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><p>It wasn't long before Ishida rejoined his friends who were waiting impatiently for him inside the main hall.<p>

"What took ya so long Uryuu? We thought you'd gotten kidnapped by the creepy statues out at the front" Renji complained, a few of the other shaking their heads in amused exasperation at his terrible joke.

While Rukia scolded her boyfriend for saying something so creepy, Orihime looked at Ishida in concern and asked, "Ishida-kun are you okay? You look a little pale…"

Feeling Ulquiorra's penetrating glare on him for having worried his girlfriend, Ishida hurriedly reassured the gentle woman, "I'm fine Inoue-san, just a bit tired from all the excitement. But I've been feeling better so why don't we take a look around this place?"

"Alright then, Operation Room Hunt will now commence!" Rukia shouted enthusiastically, violet orbs twinkling with anticipation. The others expressed their approval and they began scrutinizing walls, closets, cupboards, etc.

A few hours later, they took a break to enjoy the delicious meal Grimmjow had made them consisting of warm bread rolls, fettuccini flavored with a white sauce and sprinkled with parsley, and for dessert, a pudding decorated with fruit. Chattering happily, they praised Grimmjow's cooking skills and promised to help with the dishes but he waved them off, telling them to just go back to exploring.

"We should do something though..." Hisagi said hesitantly. But their butler just shook his head and replied, "Nah, I got it covered just go have fun. Besides, I'm curious about what you guys can find."

Accepting his polite refusal to their offer of help, they engaged in their search once more now hoping to find something interesting that they could show Grimmjow.

"Hey I think Chado's got something!" Matsumoto called excitedly. She and the giant kind man were on the first floor in a dusty unused room, examining the floorboards that were shaped irregularly from the consistent pattern the rest of the floors had.

Their friends dashed over and Kira –who arrived first- placed his ear against the floor and tapped lightly, eyes widening when he heard a hollow sound. "I think there's a room here!" he said as he hurriedly sat up. They cheered and called Grimmjow over, wanting him to join them in their exploration of the new discovery.

"Can't believe you found somethin' so damn fast" he grumbled, "I've cleaned this room so many times and I never noticed anythin' strange." Glowing with pride, they managed with some difficulty to lift one of the corners of the floorboard up which revealed an old staircase that led down into a dark abyss, the black depths seeming to threaten to swallow them.

"It's kind of… scary" Hinamori whispered. The others had also felt a small shiver of fear but Renji dismissed it and confidently said, "C'mon guys, it ain't that bad! Grimmjow-san you got a flashlight or somethin' we can use?"

"Actually I do. It's supposed to be for black-outs but I guess it'll work for now" the other man replied, flicking the switch on the tool to create a bright beam of light that illuminated their descent before handing it to Renji.

Moving in single file, they cautiously proceeded down the stairs, helping each other with the final few steps when they reached the bottom. When the last person was on safe ground, Renji flashed the light around so they cold see what was inside. They could see that they were in a basement of some kind, cobwebs hanging on the corners of some walls and dust coating everything inside. There were very old boxes piled in large stacks randomly distributed throughout the room and what looked to be the furnace that produced the heat in the house in the middle of the room.

The air was musky and although it had a slightly homey feel to it, there was something about it that raised the hair on the backs of their necks.

"M-maybe this isn't such a good idea… Let's go back" Tatsuki whispered nervously, rubbing her arms which were now sporting goose bumps that had nothing to do with feeling cold. They were about to head out when Orihime let out a sudden shriek, making them jump in alarm and fright.

The orange-haired woman had latched onto Ulquiorra's arm and was pointing towards one of the piles of crates while words tumbled out of her mouth. "T-there was a shadow over there! I definitely saw someone's shadow over there!" She buried her face into Ulquiorra's shoulder who gently held her in a reassuring hug while Ishida asked, "Are you sure it just wasn't one of our shadows." Her head bobbed up and down so they began discussing what to do.

Eventually, Renji and Chad went to investigate while the others guarded the females. Preparing themselves for an attack, they rounded the corner of the stack and nearly slipped into a fighting position when there was movement.

Then they blinked in bewilderment when the sound of crying could be heard.

"Karin-chan I'm scared! It's a zombie, a zombie!"

"Nel's scared too! Nel doesn't wanna die so soon!"

"Nel, knock it off! You're scarin' Yuzu!"

"Jinta, if you're gonna play the role of a knight then at least stop shaking like a pussy."

"Shut up Karin!"

Now the voices were arguing and Renji finally gathered enough of his wits to shine the light on them.

"Oi knock it off! We're not used to such a bright light you dumbass!"

"Jinta-kun, you shouldn't use such mean language…"

"Ururu, that's hardly the point…"

There, sitting in a huddled group, was a bunch of children who looked to be at least ten and at the most in their preteen years and all dressed in strangely nice clothing.

The youngest looking one had short honey brown hair with her bangs held to the side by a small clip. She had large watery eyes and just gave off a sense of purity and innocence and it was only emphasized by her long lacy golden and white dress with a big bow wrapped around her waist.

Second youngest was another girl with long black hair held up in two pigtails, her expression a little more mellow and demure and she wore a modest dark blue dress with a small black bow tied around the collar.

Yet another girl, who was standing protectively in front of the brown-haired one, was wearing gold only her clothes consisted of a long sleeved vest over a white shirt with matching gold pants. She also had black hair only hers was short and made her look like a tomboy with a fierce scowl adorning her face. She had the most athletic build of the female children and it was clear that she had some knowledge about fighting from her steady stance and defensive posture.

The only boy of the group was holding a shabby bat, red hair as vibrant and spiky as Renji's with a scowl that matched the tomboy's. He was scrawny but there was clearly some muscle in his arms revealed by his tight grip on his weapon. He was wearing a red tank top and black pants and revealed a bandage wrapped around his right wrist.

The last child and who looked to be the eldest, perhaps thirteen or fourteen years old, was stunning. Long sea-foam hair that cascaded down her back and a surprisingly well developed body held promises of great beauty in the future although it was hidden by a long frilly green dress with white lace peeking out the bottom. The odd scar across her nose did nothing to detract from her beauty and her large shining eyes made her seem coy and even a bit child-like.

Renji and Chad were speechless but snapped out of it when they heard Rukia's worried voice call, "Ren? Chado? You guys okay?" Her boyfriend ran a hand through his hair and called back, "Yeah but you guys should come here and see this. I think we need an explanation…"

The sound of feet shuffling across the floor was heard before the two men were joined by their friends, new curiosity temporarily overriding their fear. Any remaining anxiety was washed away however, when they saw the children.

"Kids? What in the world are they doing down here?" Matsumoto asked in shock. Before a response could be made, Grimmjow suddenly spoke, disbelief coloring his voice.

"Karin, Yuzu? And Nel, Jinta, and Ururu too?" The children's heads perked up and when they saw Grimmjow's face, they leaped up and dashed towards him, all talking at the same time.

"Grimmy!"

"We were so scared-"

"Dunno how long we spent here-"

"Why did it take you so long to find us?"

"I'm hungry…"

"Whoa slow down! I think lots of people want an explanation so we'll try to get everythin' cleared up in a minute but let's go up first 'kay?" Pouting, the kids nodded and he motioned to the group to follow him as he led the way back up the stairs, closing the trap door with a definitive thud.

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><p>Quickly grabbing some snacks, they all settled down on the silky plush couches and chairs in the large lounge room, the group of friends looking at their newest additions with confusion.<p>

As the kids bolted down their food, Tatsuki asked in an almost suspicious tone, "Hey Grimmjow-san, who are these kids? You obviously know them and they know you. Care to explain?"

Grimmjow sighed as he slumped forward and rested his elbows on his knees, watching the kids happily down their food in large gulps before he replied, "You know how Aizen Sousuke owns this place and opened a whole bunch of orphanages for kids right?" When he received affirmative responses, he continued, "Well, these guys were foster kids of the family livin' here before. They vanished a few days before the family left and when we looked for them, we couldn't find them. The family insisted on stayin' and searchin' but they had to go somewhere immediately and couldn't afford to stay so I offered to keep lookin' and if I found anythin', I'd give them a call. But then, a few days later, I received news from the assistant of my boss that the family had disappeared and their plane had all but vanished into thin air-"

"What?" Karin and Jinta had leaped to their feet while Yuzu looked like she was going to cry. Nel also looked very upset as she asked, "Is that true Grimmy? Papa and mama and nii-chan are gone?" That pushed Yuzu over the edge and she burst into tears while Ururu wrapped her arms around her comfortingly, the other children putting on brave faces that were also on the verge of breaking down.

As they tried to comfort the kids and reassure them, no one noticed the small cruel smirk on someone's face or the cold air that was slowly spreading throughout the house, seeping out from the crack beneath the door of the forbidden room.

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><p>AN: Huh, this story is surprisingly fun to write. I think the end was a bit rushed but I didn't want to make the chapter much longer so sorry! Anyway, tell me what you think: Interesting? Boring? If it doesn't seem scary enough, don't worry; the really freaky stuff will start beginning maybe in the next chapter~


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